Transmission-gearing.



A! BENSON.

TRANSMISSION GEARING.

APPLICATION TILED SEPT.5,1911.

Lfifi fl a ig I Patented June 25, 1912.

' 2 SEEETSSHBET 1. I J35 04 Y A. BENSON.

TRANSMISSION GEARING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5, 1911.

LQQEQWWQ Patented June 25, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ANDREW BENSON, OF, CHICAGO, ILLINQIS; .hgSiGlNflitt; BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0

' I BENSQIN G-Editt GQMIANY.

3 TEA'NSIEESISION-QEAIRIIQ'CE fipeeification of Letters 'lfatent.

PatentedJuneQd; ioia To all whom it may conccm:

Be it known that I, Annenw Bunsen, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of (look and State of Illinois, have invented a new and. useful that class of transmission gearing us -d in Connection with automobiles for driving the axle shafts and one in which is employed a driving worm and a worm-gear cooperating therewith. Heretoforein transmission gear ing of this type it has been customary to use on the driving shaft a worm of the ordiruirii type having a constant diameter throughout its length, which. mesheswit-h a cooperating worm-gear, for operating the axle shafts through means of compensating gearing, and in this form of transmission gearing the worm and worm-gear have borne a fixed relation without any allowance being made for Wear.

' this defect by providing transmission gear ing comprising a worm and a worm-gear which shall be freely and automatically ad-' justable relatively to each other so as to compensate for all wear and so that the operating gears will automatically assume the most efficient operating position.

More specifically my invention consists in a driving shaft having a worm fixed thereon and having bearlngs in a housing pivotally or swivelly mounted at an angle to the worm-gear, preferably about a center passing through the outer circtunference of the worm-gear, said housing having a slidable and dust proof engagement with the wormgear houslng', and compensating gearing be tween the worm-gear and the axle shafts Other minor details of the invention will be more specifically pointed out and in part obvious from the following description.

My invention furthermore consists in the novel construction of parts and devices and in the novel combination of parts and devices as herein show'n, described and claimed.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Flgure 1 is aside elevation of a structure embodylng my improvements,

showing in section the casing such as would be used when the improvement 18 applied to an automobile axle. Fig. 2 is a horizontalsection, taken on the iine 2-:2 of Fig. 1.v 34 is vertical section taken on the line. 5-3 of L and Fig. 4t is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line t-4 In the iflrawings the reference nrmieral 11 denotes tl axie casings or. tubes such as are used automobiles, for the two members 12 and 13 of common type of two part shaft. The casings or tubes 11 are each enlarged at their inner ends as shown at 15 and provided with inner threaded portions 16, smooth portions 17, and flared months 18 having flanges 19 thereon adapt.- ed to be bolted together to form a'housing or casing. for the worm-gear 20 and the compensating or balancing gears.coiiperatingitherewith. In each threaded portion 16 is adjustably mounted a thrust bearing plate 21 adapted to be retained in position by members 22. Betweeneach plate 21 and the collars 23 on the shaft members Hand 13 are anti r1 tion balls 24 and plates 25. Mounted in the smooth portions 17 of the casings areanti friction roller bearing dev1 to support and center the internalmembers 2? on the inner end of each axle shaft Cooperating with the internal gears of. the members 27 are compensating or balancing gears 28, preferably three in number, mounted in the worm-gear '20, which is located between the shell 1nemhers 27 and rotatable on the reduced ends 29 of the shaft members 12 and 13. It 1s obvious that other forms of compensating or balancinggearing may be substituted for that which I have described, the essential. features connected with my invention being that the power shall be transmitted to the axle shafts from a driven gear.

On. the end of the member 80, forming a part of the driving shaft, is formed a Worm 31 and said member 30 and the worm 31 are mounted in a infusing 85 having a removable end plate 135 by means of anti-friction cone bearings, each bearing comprising a bearing plate 32, antifriction balls 33, and a conical plate 3%, the conical plate opposite the end of the worm 31 being adjustable as by n'leans of a screw 36 and set nut 37, as more clearly shown in Figs. 2 and The worm is preferably of that type known as the .i-iindlcy screw and as shown may be provided With a plurality of threads 38 meshing- With the teeth 39 on the wormgear 20. v i

To compensate for Wear on the intercuga-ging threads and teeth, theworm housing 35 is movably-mountecirelatively to the Worm-gear housing and this movement permitted preferably only is" a plane at right angles to theaitis of the norm-gear or, in other words-hi the plane of the wormgear. The structure which I havesh own; for accomplishing this result and which-may be greatly varied comprises shafts lOfornied on each side of the housing 35 preferably integrally therewith and extending at right; angles thereto and in line with each other, said shafts being journaledin ournal boxes.) on each side of the wormgear casing, each-,I journalihox comprising a vertically extend ing member 41 and a member i2 pivoted thereto and retained in position on'the shaft by a pivoted bolt LS-having a nut 44 thereon and Working in' a slot 45 in the pivoted membe'r42. The center of theseshafts and therefore'thsexis about which the housing 35 oscillates preferablv coincides with a line' passing. through t e outer circumferonce of the yvorm gear 20 and parallel to the axis ofthe worm-gear.

The memherslfi forming the housing for the worm-gear, are provided with a-recess having ercuate faces 46 at each end thereof adapted to cooperate with correspondingly shaped faces $7 on the housing 35, these faces 46 and if? being struck on arcs of radii having the center of the shafts it) as their centers and the flat sides ofthe housing 35 cooperating vvit-h the straight portions of the-recess in the Worm-gear housmg as will be easily understood from an inspection of Figs. 1 and 2. With this struclure, I provide a close fitting, slidable, dust proof Connection between the two relatively xnov'ahle housingsjand it will also be apparent that by the structure described I v ;hzwe provided a very efficient form of transmission gearing that automatically adjusts itself to compensate for wear on the interengagmg surfaces and one which may he cheaply manufactured and easily accessible for inspection. v

By the use of a Worm of the I have shown of the Hindley form which type, many advantages are derived over the use of the old form or" Worm having a constant diameter, since it isfevident that with the structure shown, the wearing or contacting faces on the Worm are spread out over a greater area and hence there is less liability for the surfaces to out each other andin the ordi nary worm screw when the thre c been worn down, the faces the presented to the Worm-gear at the most e'liicient working angle the efiiciency of the power transmission becomes very small. Vi itli my structure however,

as soon as the worm becomes worn-it adgusts itself automatically to a position. Where the "faces of ihe Worm thread are presented to the faces of the worm geai' teeth, in as an efficient position, as before.

Many changes in the det'ailsof construe tion may made by those skilled in the art and all such chan es re contain lated as come within the scope of the appended i '1. in a transmission gearing, a shaft havv Hig wosm' thereon, a worm-gear meshing f with saidworm, the axis of the worm being anguislrly movable relatiyely to the wormgear about a pivotal axis located intermediate the ends oithc worm.

2. In a transmission earin a shaft hav- "ing a w orin'thereoma housing for said" Worm sndshaft, a worm-gear and a housing i,

therefor, the two housings with theircorresponding gears there n being relatively 'movable to compensate for wear.

automatically movable relatively to and ina plane'perpenclicular to theaxis of the I other.

4. Ina transmission gearing, a shaft havmg a worm thereon, a worm-gear meshing with said Worm, the axis offthe Worm being I freely and automatically augularl' adjustable relatively to the Worm-gear.

5. In a transmission gearing, a shaft having a .worm thereon, a housing in which said shaft and worm are mounted, a worm-gear and a housing therefor, the two housings .with their corresponding gears therein be ing freely and automatically movable relatively to each otherto compensate for Wear.

6. In a transmis ion gearing, e, shaft hav ing a driving W01 thereon, a housing in which said shaft and Worm are mounted, a worm gear cooperating with the worm, and a housin, for said Worm-gear, worm housing .oeing pivot-ally mounted on vthe worm-gear housing, the axis of said Worm being thereby angularly movable relatively to the worm-gean I 7, Ina transmission gearing", a shafthav' ing a driving worm thereoma housing in which said shaft and Worm. are mounted, a Worm-gear cooperating with the Worm, V and a housing therefor, the "worm housing being reeiy and pivotally mounted on the WOIXB' gear housing about an axis parallel iothe worm gear axis.

8. In a transmission gearing iz shaft-ha ing a driving Worm thereon,-

which said shaft .end'worm aremuunte' worm gear cooperating, with 7.? WW-E 1 and a mousing thereror, the worm housing. 1.

being freely and pivotally mounted on the worm-gear housing about an axis parallel" to the worm-gearaxis and passingthrough the periphery of the worm-gear.

9. In a transmission gearing, a shaft having a worm thereon, a housing in which said shaft and worm are n 1ounted,a wormgearand a housing therefor, the two housings With their-corresponding gears therein being relatively movable to compensate for Wear, said housings having a dust-proof slidahle connection therebetween.

10. In a transmission gearing, a shaft having a worm thereon, a housing in which said shaft and worm are mounted, a worm 'gear cooperating with said Worm, and a housing therefor, the worm housing being pivotally mounted on the worm-gear housing,' the axis of said Worm being thereby angularly movable relatively to the wormgear, said housings having a slidable dustproof connection therebetween.

11. In a transmission gearing, a shaft having a driving worm thereon, a housing in which said shaft and wormare mounted,

a Worm-gear cooperating with the Worm and a housing therefor, the worm housing being 12. In a transmission gearing, the combination with a worm, and a housing therefor, of a worm-gear, a housing for said worm gear, and means for pivotally mounting said housings relatively to each other, comprising oppositely extending shafts and two part adjustable journal boxes, said shafts being mounted in said journal boxes.

13. In a transmission gearing for automobiles, a. power shaft, a Hindley screw type ,worm'keyed to said shaft, a housing for said worm, a worm-gear cooperating with said Worm and a housing for said worm gear, said Worm housing being pivoted to the Worm gear housin g ANDREW BENSON. \Yitnesses H. M. MU'NDAY, Josnrn HARRIS. 

